By Lexan Ali

The tragedy of the human condition, particularly the conditions of working masses, under the system of capitalism, lies in the fact that the quest for endless super profit and the accumulation of resources by a few capitalist elites, is being primed above the human needs and the development of society. 

In Nigeria today, as the level of unemployment surges in the country so is the thriving of casual workers. With little or no regulation of industries in the Nigerian labour market, casual employees are beginning to replace jobs that are meant to be permanent in nature. Casual work is used to be seen as a job for unskilled labourers who used to work in the farms or construction industries. Currently, with the weakness of the central labour leadership on matters of casualization and contract staff. Many manufacturing companies, banks, and service companies rely largely on casual labour to make a profit.  

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) defined casual work as the engagement of workers on a very short term or an occasional and intermittent basis, often for a specific number of hours, days or weeks, in return for a wage set by the terms of the daily or periodic work agreement. This is not the practice of casual work in Nigeria today. Casual workers are used for several years until the industry no longer requires their services. The mode of the condition of work is barbaric in this modern time and there should be an urgent action to stop it. Many graduates today are engaged as casual workers in security firms and industries.   
  
One of the basic factors accounting for the existence of this phenomenon is the nature of capitalism. That’s a system that put the need for profits above the need for workers’ welfare. It is geared towards meeting the insatiable profit needs of the billionaire class who own these big firms and industries. These workers whose labour produces the wealth, have the majority of whom go home only with their poverty wages in the process enriching a few elites.

This describes a situation where people, especially young people seeking a job are offered temporary employment. This employment is but without the basic entitlements and rights available for permanent employment. Workers are dehumanized and they work under harsh working conditions. The worse is that the trade unions leaders in these workplaces are silent about it. They will defend the management against coming out to organise workers to stop the dehumanization of workers. This is because of the bureaucracy in the trade unions and the lack of democracy in the unions.

At the centenary International Labour Conference which was held in Geneva in 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mr Williams Alao was quoted by the Sun newspaper as “ that casualization of workers in any form was no longer in practice in Nigeria.” This statement does not reflect the reality on the ground. In 2021, the Minister for Labour Mr Chris Ngige was quoted on Premium

Times that the federal government will end the casualization of workers. “We are not sitting idle. The time has come to stop casualization of any form in the labour force. The private entrepreneurs must make gains to keep the business afloat but must not enslave their workers.” This statement by the minister is a confirmation of the fact that there is existing casualization as opposed to the president’s statement. Whether the government have the courage to challenge the big firms to engage in casual workers is another contest.

PROTEST BY CASUAL WORKERS IN FLOUR MILLS

Among others, FLOUR MILLS is a case that cannot be swept under the carpet. It is an obvious reality that is revealing the worse dehumanization and casualization of workers. The recent protest was peacefully organised by both casual and contract workers in FLOUR MILLS, which started from its Headquarters in Apapa between Nov/Dec 2021. This struggle earned these braved workers a 75% wage increase. Though it was not everything that was achieved, however, the “75%” wage increase is a huge success. 

In MSA, we give solidarity to this victory. We urge those workers, placed on contract staff, not to relent. They must pressure their leadership to stand with them to win more demands. On the other hand, workers in the trade unions must mount pressure on the NLC, and TUC to resuscitate the struggle for the minimum wage. The N30, 000 minimum wage is paltry and it doesn’t solve the social and economic contradiction of the working-class families, especially when inflation rise in Nigeria is between 13.6% and 15.70% reportedly.

While the good news of the protests had spread from the headquarters to the subdivisions. Workers in Golden Pasta – one of the divisions in Surulere – organized a protest and management quickly acceded to the workers’ immediate demand and their salaries were increased. This was done to prevent the protest and demands for wage increment from spreading to other divisions. The management’s swing to action was to stop the workers’ demands from linking itself to the central issues of casualization, contract staff, poor working conditions and other anti-labour practices conducted in FLOUR MILLS. 

The Movement for A Socialist Alternative commends the courage and determination of these contract workers in FLOUR MILLS. If anything, the concession forced out from the hands of management was due to the organized protest by casual workers. Its shows the resilience and unity of the workers to organize peacefully. In this line, it is only through determined and consistent struggles that concessions can be won from management. Above all, ending casualization and all anti-labour practices in workplaces is a necessity. 

Never before has a more consistent, radical and uncompromising leadership of a workers Union been more desirable than in a period like this of unrelenting attacks against workers’ collective interests. It is in this light that the recent Union election in BAGCO i.e. one of the divisions of Flour Mills. Their election recorded a huge turnout of workers to want to participate in the exercise. This is instructive and it indicates what the workers want. Surprisingly, 90% of the staff who voted in the election had worked many years as contract workers before they eventually became staff. This was through the almighty benevolence of the paymasters after extracting every ounce of profits they could from them. 

Now, workers in the election have shown where their interest through their votes in the recent union election rests upon. These votes were significant in the history of BAGCO. It is confirming that workers need a union representation, which will join them to defend their interests against management attacks and anti-labour practices. On the other hand, these votes were to return the former executives, which was like a vote of confidence. This was unconnected to the increment in workers’ salary affected in the last quarter of 2021 and the alleged role, if any, played by the Union. But these votes for Peter’s leadership are also a charge on them that more is expected.  

The vote of confidence also explains that Peter’s leadership has more to do – with issues confronting workers in BAGCO. However, the MSA would urge workers not to fold their arms and say the battle is over. They must not leave the recent concession in the hands of its leadership without consolidating it with demand for the right to unionize. This is what they must consistently put before Peter’s leadership. It is only through this approach and method of struggle that CASUALISATION or contract labour, poor wages and poor conditions of work and long working hours can be won without any forceful retrenchment unconditionally.